LOWDEN GUITARS
Deep at the heart of his company’s busy complex is George Lowden’s private workshop where he builds very special acoustic guitars – although, these days, time constraints mean the waiting list for a Lowden hand-built by the man himself is an optimistic two to three years. On our visit to this hallowed enclave we were shown some works in progress where rare woods were being combined into beautiful, singular instruments, the headstocks of which bear a single ‘L’ – the mark of the master.
Elsewhere, an array of skilled luthiers are busy at work attending to the various stages of building customers’ orders from Lowden’s extensive range of instruments. Some installing the logo into the headstocks, some attending to binding, others fretting, testing, stringing up and finessing before the guitars are cased, packaged and sent off to their new owners. Soon everyone will be moving to a freshly built larger facility nearby, but, for now, it’s business as usual.
During the afternoon, we manage to find a window in George Lowden’s hectic schedule to sit down and talk guitars…
How do you find time to implement new ideas and designs into the catalogue?
“Every year,
